While Game Of Thrones informs us “Winter Is Coming”, the MCU has been tentatively teasing fans with the ominous warning of “Thanos Is Coming” for quite some time ever since the introduction of the Tesseract in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Directors Anthony & Joe Russo masterfully crafted the coolest cinematic adventure of the century which is sure to make audiences laugh, cry and be amazed throughout its 160-minute duration of riveting superheroic action.

After acquiring the Power Stone, the Mad Titan known as Thanos (Josh Brolin) continues his quest in search of the remaining five infinity stones he requires in order to wield unstoppable abilities via the Infinity Gauntlet. The journey causes him and his henchmen (Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, Cull Obsidian and Proxima Midnight) to cross paths with Thor, Loki, Heimdall and Hulk following the events of Thor: Ragnarok. Despite the heroic foursome putting up a fight, Thanos extracts the Space Stone from the Tesseract before obliterating the ship and moving forward with his diabolical plans.

Hulk hurls through the sky, crash landing in the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York City, reverting back to Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) in the process. There, he warns Stephen Strange & Wong about the threat heading their way. Soon after, a ship arrives on Earth with Ebony Maw primarily focused on taking the Time Stone from Doctor Strange. A battle ensues also involving Cull Obsidian, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Spider-Man.

Meanwhile, Proxima Midnight & Corvus Glaive ambush Scarlet Witch and Vision in Scotland in an attempt to forcibly remove the Mind Stone from the only android member of the Avengers. However, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and company arrive to thwart the evildoers of their scheme. While Vision is willing to sacrifice himself by allowing Scarlet Witch to destroy the Mind Stone, Steve Rogers suggests they travel to Wakanda to find a solution that won’t cost a teammate’s life.

Back in space, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is introduced to the Guardians Of The Galaxy where Gamora informs him of her adoptive father Thanos’ desire to balance the universe by wiping out half the population from existence with just the snap of his fingers. Following some humorous dialogue, the story shifts back to serious when Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, and Mantis come face-to-face with Thanos, now in possession of the Reality Stone. Gamora is kidnapped and taken to Vormir where she eventually helps Thanos acquire the Soul Stone after previously being forced to witness her sister Nebula (Karen Gillan) endure torture.

On Nidavellir, Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot accompany Thor in his mission to replace Mjolnir with a new weapon, Stormbreaker, which may be powerful enough to kill Thanos. Elsewhere, Nebula escapes captivity and makes her way to Titan, the destroyed homeworld of Thanos. In typical Marvel fashion, heroes unbeknownst to each other get into a scuffle on Titan when Star-Lord, Drax, and Mantis mistake the trio of Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man as Thanos’ henchmen.

Despite nearly wresting away the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos, the emotions of a certain teammate allows The Mad Titan to overpower all the heroes who dare unhand his signature weapon. In order to spare Tony Stark’s life, Doctor Strange surrenders the Time Stone to Thanos who then proceeds to transport to Wakanda for the final necessary piece for ultimate power.

Steve Rogers reunites with Bucky Barnes on Wakanda where Shuri is tasked with safely extracting the Mind Stone from Vision. Thanos’ army invades Wakanda, therefore, initiating a battle with the heroes being lead by T’Challa -aka- Black Panther. Other warriors involved in the battle were M’Baku, Falcon and War Machine (Don Cheadle). One very exciting moment was the focus on the women of the MCU as Proxima Midnight faced off against the trio of Scarlet Witch, Okoye and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

Unfortunately, the inevitable occurred as Thanos added the Mind Stone to the Infinity Gauntlet and wiped out half of the universe’s population from existence, along with some beloved Avengers much to everyone’s dismay.

This movie is a rare gem (pun intended) as it perfectly mixed together comedy, action, and drama for an overall excellent final outcome. Admittedly, it’s targeted for the die-hard comic book and Marvel Cinematic Universe fans as most of the backstory have been told in the previous 18 films. Viewers unknown to these characters may feel lost diving into this incredible spectacle but devoted nerds such as myself will be smiling from ear-to-ear and possibly crying tear-after-tear during every viewing.

5/5 Stars – Extremely Recommended

PS: Two brief pieces of info, first: the GOT reference at the beginning was both creative and somewhat necessary as Peter Dinklage made a cameo as Eitri the King of the Dwarves who helped Thor forge a new weapon. Secondly, make sure you stay for the post-credits scene as Nick Fury sends a distress signal for the soon-to-debut Captain Marvel.